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#70 Making CX technology work: Insights from James O'Connor on strategy and leadership
In this episode of CX Leadership Talks, Nienke Bloem is joined by James O’Connor, one of the early architects of customer experience as a professional discipline.
James brings more than 20 years of experience working at the intersection of customer experience, strategy, operations and technology. He was one of the first CX advisors at Forrester, where he worked closely with CX leaders and executive teams across global organisations. Later, he continued his work in advanced analytics and customer strategy at Bain & Company.
In this conversation, Nienke and James dive deep into a topic many CX leaders struggle with: technology. Not tools for the sake of tools, but how technology can truly accelerate CX leadership, business impact and decision-making.
They talk openly about why CX technology so often disappoints, why imperfect technology sometimes works better than “Ferraris”, and what CX leaders should focus on if they want technology to actually deliver value.
This is a practical, honest and strategic episode for CX leaders who want to move beyond dashboards, vendors and hype, and start using technology as a real leadership accelerator.
Timestamped overview
00:00 Mentorship that transforms CX leadership
05:01 Journey into Customer Experience
07:53 Strategizing CX with accountability
11:26 Progress over perfection
15:02 Why CX leaders need technology
18:10 Misaligned initiatives and technology use
22:04 Good enough tools deliver
23:27 AI catalyst for business insights
29:00 Driving business impact collaboratively
32:32 Understanding tech’s business value
36:50 Importance of an operating model
39:16 Building a strong core
41:55 Prioritize people over tools
46:17 Accelerating impact using existing resources
48:27 Maximizing existing resources effectively
Books mentioned in this episode
Video’s on the Future of CX Leadership
Nienke gave her insights on the future of CX in a video serie: 5 Shifts for CX leaders – the future of CX leadership. You can find them here.
Connect with James
You can connect with James on LinkedIn.
If this episode resonated with you, share it with a fellow CX leader and let Nienke know what your biggest takeaway was.
About Nienke:
Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress.
She's a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books.
Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person for CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations.
With her over 20 years of corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. Subscribe to her weekly CX Greetz to stay tuned.
View all episodes
By Nienke Bloem CCXPIn this episode of CX Leadership Talks, Nienke Bloem is joined by James O’Connor, one of the early architects of customer experience as a professional discipline.
James brings more than 20 years of experience working at the intersection of customer experience, strategy, operations and technology. He was one of the first CX advisors at Forrester, where he worked closely with CX leaders and executive teams across global organisations. Later, he continued his work in advanced analytics and customer strategy at Bain & Company.
In this conversation, Nienke and James dive deep into a topic many CX leaders struggle with: technology. Not tools for the sake of tools, but how technology can truly accelerate CX leadership, business impact and decision-making.
They talk openly about why CX technology so often disappoints, why imperfect technology sometimes works better than “Ferraris”, and what CX leaders should focus on if they want technology to actually deliver value.
This is a practical, honest and strategic episode for CX leaders who want to move beyond dashboards, vendors and hype, and start using technology as a real leadership accelerator.
Timestamped overview
00:00 Mentorship that transforms CX leadership
05:01 Journey into Customer Experience
07:53 Strategizing CX with accountability
11:26 Progress over perfection
15:02 Why CX leaders need technology
18:10 Misaligned initiatives and technology use
22:04 Good enough tools deliver
23:27 AI catalyst for business insights
29:00 Driving business impact collaboratively
32:32 Understanding tech’s business value
36:50 Importance of an operating model
39:16 Building a strong core
41:55 Prioritize people over tools
46:17 Accelerating impact using existing resources
48:27 Maximizing existing resources effectively
Books mentioned in this episode
Video’s on the Future of CX Leadership
Nienke gave her insights on the future of CX in a video serie: 5 Shifts for CX leaders – the future of CX leadership. You can find them here.
Connect with James
You can connect with James on LinkedIn.
If this episode resonated with you, share it with a fellow CX leader and let Nienke know what your biggest takeaway was.
About Nienke:
Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress.
She's a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books.
Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person for CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations.
With her over 20 years of corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. Subscribe to her weekly CX Greetz to stay tuned.